


i'll play your favorite chopin

by Platinumroyal



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, happy birthday shu, shumika fluff!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 18:08:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16454840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Platinumroyal/pseuds/Platinumroyal
Summary: Somehow, he had a suspicion that this morning would be different from the rest.//happy birthday shu!!





	i'll play your favorite chopin

When Shu rises, he is not expecting the day to feel any different than the last. He pulls his eyemask off, sets it down on the nightstand, and yawns, not fully awake yet. He stretches his arms above his head, feeling his sleep-ridden muscles tense and then release, his nightshirt riding up his torso slightly. When he slides his legs off the side of the bed, his feet land squarely in his slippers, exactly in the spot where he left them the night before. He purposefully has trained his body to wake up a full half-hour before Kagehira does, just to give himself some quiet time in the morning; when he initially started the habit, it was more so to allow himself the time to remain under his covers, hidden from the world for an extra fifteen minutes, before having to present his weakling self to another human being. There had been many times where he contemplated never leaving his bed at all—and there were days where he did follow that plan to its fruition. But as the days and weeks and months since the worst day of his life had piled on, he had been forced to give chase, and perform like all the rest of those vulgar people in the world. There was no time to have been staying in bed, after all. And so, on this chilly October morning, Shu dons his (appropriately) fluffy slippers, and heads to the washroom to freshen himself up.

Shu bathes at night, so his morning routine is nothing more than a splash of water on his face, brushing his teeth, and his typical skincare. Of course, it still takes him a decent amount of time to complete these tasks (longer than the rest of those so-called idols at Yumenosaki, he figures, who probably couldn’t discern a moisturizer from a cleanser), and by the time he enters the kitchen to fix up some breakfast, he can typically hear Kagehira begin to stir in his room. His grandfather and his sister are usually at the table, already, his parents and brother having left for whatever obligations they had for the day. The ordeals of his family members didn’t concern him much. Shu has his own things to deal with, after all. He'll slide some fresh croissant dough in the kiln, when he has ample time on some days, or he'll whip up some eggs and some rice for Kagehira. When he strides into the kitchen, though, he can tell that today is going to be very, very different.

Before he even gets there, he knows something is off. His family is typically quiet in the mornings, preferring to respect each other's responsibilities and time rather than bother each other with pointless conversation. He can hear his grandfather's even, firm voice, his sister's peals of laughter, and some very distraught noises that can only be produced by one certain Kagehira Mika. Shu rubs his temples with his fingertips. Today was going to be—

" _Nnaaah!_  What did I do?!"

He sighs. Today was going to be a long day.

Shu rounds the corner of the hallway and leans his hand on the wall leading into the kitchen. Of course, what he sees is an absolute mess.

For some ungodly reason, like most of the circumstances in his life, Kagehira (the absolute fool) is standing in front of their gas stovetop, frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. His—that is, Shu's—favorite apron is half-untied around his waist, one of the straps starting to make its escape off of his shoulder, and a fresh stain of  _something_  on the front. What looks to be half of a pancake is dangling over the edge of the pan, the other half mysteriously gone. The kitchen is a mess, ingredients open all over the counters, a few glass bowls and forks towering in the sink, and one of the drawers is still open. Kagehira himself has a spot of flour on his right cheek, and he doesn’t seem to have realized or he simply doesn’t care. His sister's laughter has grown louder, now that Shu has made his entrance. Grandfather looks slightly exasperated, yet somehow amused. As soon as Kagehira spots him, he practically jumps a few inches off the ground, and lands right on the missing other half of the pancake.

"O-o-o-oshi-san! Um, uh, good morning! You're up early!" Kagehira sputters out, pauses, and then hastily attempts to hide the pan behind his back. The spatula is still brandished in his other hand. He doesn’t notice.

The timer on his kiln dings.

"Y-you can go an' sit in the dining room, if y'want, Oshi-san! I, um, got things handled in here…!" It certainly doesn’t appear that way, he thinks. Shu would be more concerned that Kagehira was about to burn his house down, if not for the fact that he has two competent adults in the room with him. He closes his eyes and turns right back around. It's still too early for this.

"…I am going to wake Mademoiselle."

Kagehira visibly relaxes his shoulders. Just what was this fool planning…? "Uhm! Okay! Y'go and do that, Oshi-san!"

He can still hear their voices carrying, all the way in his room. It is a mystery how he didn’t hear them when he first woke up. Mademoiselle is sitting right where he placed her, back in his bedroom, inside her nighttime glass showcase.

"Good morning, Mademoiselle. It seems that today is going to be particularly exhausting," he sighs, but can't help but smile inwardly to himself. Kagehira may be ridiculous sometimes, but his antics did amuse him somewhat. As of late, Shu found himself less perturbed by Kagehira's errant actions, less compelled to thread wires to his limbs and correct his every move. He did not know exactly what that meant; was he becoming soft? "Well, it is not as if he has any bad intentions. I suppose I'll allow this to pan out."

Mademoiselle does not say a word back to him. Her speech had become limited, within the past few weeks. Shu did not know what that meant, either.

He gingerly slides off her nightcap and gown, after selecting an outfit of hers for the day. Whether he wants to admit it or not, today  _is_  somewhat of a special occurrence, and so he chooses a lovely maroon dress with black lace trimming around the skirt. Normally, he would dress himself as well, but he has a feeling that whatever Kagehira has in store is something he would rather be in pajamas for. There is no sense in ruining perfectly good clothes.

Before he can even make it back into the kitchen, Kagehira calls out to him. "Oshi-san, can y'go in the dining room? I'll be there in a sec!" Well, he'll humor him.

Of course, the dining room is another thing altogether. The head of the table, where his grandfather typically sits, is fully set: tablecloth draped over the table, napkins folded, a glass of water and an empty teacup and saucer. There are two carnations, one a sweet pink and the other a wine red, set in a glass vase a few feet in front of him. As he goes to set Mademoiselle down, he realizes that there is a smaller place setting, with a saucer being used as a plate. Something inside Shu stirs. Morning sunlight beams in from the windows at the side of the room, casting a white glow on the whole arrangement. Shu delicately pulls out the chair, just a little bit impressed.

Kagehira comes rushing in, a platter in his hands. He is still wearing the apron, but has made some attempt to fix himself up. He brings with him a fresh pot of tea. "Here ya go, Oshi-san," he sets the platter down on the table, grabbing the teapot and pouring some into his cup. The stream of tea wobbles with his trembling hands. "It's rosehip… that's the one y'like, right?"

Shu nods, trying not to be curt. "Yes, I do enjoy rosehip quite a bit," he lifts the cup to his mouth, blows off some of the steam, and takes a sip. It is not the best tea he's ever had, but something about the fact that Kagehira brewed it especially for him compensates for that. "Delightful. Thank you, Kagehira."

His server flushes slightly, grabbing the platter off the table. "I'll be right back, Oshi-san!" And with that, he takes off. Shu continues to drink his tea.

When Kagehira returns, a few minutes later, he has brought breakfast with him. He first sets down a lopsided stack of pancakes, haphazardly coated in a dusting of (what Shu hopes is) powdered sugar. Little pieces of strawberries poke out of the pancakes here and there, and there is a small pile of the berries atop the highest pancake. Shu is not one to go heavy on his meals, especially not early in the morning, but he has to admit that the pancakes smell delectable; their appearance is another story, but he can look past that for now.

Kagehira also places a smaller plate on the table, with two of the silliest looking croissants he has ever seen. They are folded in way too much, to the point where both ends are touching each other, one big mass of bread. Shu would be remiss to even call them croissants, if he didn’t hear the kiln timer go off not fifteen minutes prior. Again, though, there is something charming about how disastrous they look, something that absolutely screams Kagehira.

He also receives a small bowl of mixed berries, including some more strawberries, and a refill on his tea. When Kagehira is finished, he steps away from the table and looks away, holding the empty platter behind his back.

"That's… um, that's it, I guess," he stares at the floor. "I hope it's not too bad, I followed the recipe 'best I could, but if y'don't wanna eat it then I totally get it—"

"Kagehira, cease your blathering," Shu cuts him off, and Kagehira sews his mouth shut. "This all looks delicious. You made it for me, and I am going to eat it, so stop with all the self-depreciatory nonsense." He lightly stabs the topmost pancake with his fork, holding down the berries with his knife, and rests it on his plate.

The first bite of pancake is a pleasant surprise. Shu didn’t think they would be  _bad_ , of course, but they are significantly better than he could have ever anticipated. The strawberries are definitely fresh, and the pancakes themselves are nice and light and fluffy. Well, if there was one thing that Kagehira was good at, it was following directions. Perhaps he should consider teaching Kagehira how to cook…

The chef himself is still standing up against the wall, fidgeting and avoiding his gaze.

"Well? Come sit," Shu pulls out the chair adjacent to his. "Do you intend to just stand there and stare at me while I eat?"

 "Nnah? Um, o'course not!" Kagehira scurries over to the chair, yanking it out further and sitting down. He doesn’t do anything after that, though. "Is it bad…?"

"Try some for yourself."

Kagehira reaches out with his bare hands—which Shu naturally gives him a pointed look for—and then reaches for the fork by Mademoiselle's plate. "Sorry, Madonee, I'm gonna borrow this for a sec."

" _Go ahead, Mika-chan_ ," Why does Mademoiselle respond to Kagehira, and not him? " _They look delicious!_ "

The expression on Kagehira's face, after nibbling on the edge of the half-broken pancake he took, morphs from trepidation to outright confusion to a genuine look of relief. "Aaah, 'm so glad~"

"Don't speak with your mouth full. Must I reteach you your manners?" he scolds, lightly. "And have more faith in your own creations. Did you seriously intend to present me with something less than optimal?"

Kagehira shakes his head vigorously, still chewing. "Never! Oshi-san deserves th—" he pauses, and pain flits across his face for a split second. "Nnah! I bit my tongue…"

It was a wonder that Kagehira had ever made it this far. How in the world did he ever make it past elementary school? "Careful. Honestly, I need to monitor you at ever instance, don't I? I cannot even begin to fathom how you would function living on your own."

"Ahaha, that's why I'm livin' with you, right, Oshi-san?"

Shu takes a sip of tea. "Don't take too much pride in that, now. Regardless. I must admit, you've put out quite the spread here, Kagehira. I didn't believe you to be capable of something like this." There was something else he needed to say, wasn't there? "…Thank you. I appreciate it very much."

Kagehira beams, his cheeks slightly flushed. The smudge of flour is still there. "Anythin' for you, Oshi-san! Uhm, there is one more little thing I got planned for ya, if you'd wait just a moment." He stands up, suddenly, dusting some powdered sugar off of his apron.

"Wait."

Shu reaches out his hand, before Kagehira can leave, and catches him by the arm. He leads Kagehira down, gently, and then uses his other hand to swipe the spot of flour off his face. A trail of pink blossoms across his face, in the wake of where he slid his thumb (and on the opposite cheek, too, but Shu elects to ignore it). "I-it was bothering me. Go on ahead, now."

But he doesn’t. Kagehira simply blinks at him, stupefied, for a long couple of seconds, and doesn’t move an inch. He brings his hand up to his face, right where Shu's had been moments prior, and just stands there. It takes a bit more time before his stupor is broken, and Kagehira sputters for a moment and then scurries out of the room.

Shu's tea is starting to get cold.

He returns again, this time with a tiny present in his hands. Kagehira is having difficulty meeting his gaze, it seems, as he sits back down in his chair and slides the box over to Shu wordlessly.

"Hm? I assumed the breakfast was your present—you didn’t need to procure something else," Shu frowns, but picks up the present regardless. "Please don't tell me you've wasted some of your money on a gift. You overwork yourself already."

"'S not a waste," he mumbles, still not looking at him directly.

_Alright then,_  Shu sighs inwardly, and slides his knife through a fold in the wrapping paper. Each fold is undone, with a meticulous amount of precision, even though he had no intentions of keeping the cheap wrapping paper once he was finished with it. There was still merit to being careful, though, and so he ensures that not a single piece is ruined.

The wrapping paper had covered a little black box, no bigger than his hand. It looks store-bought, which means that Kagehira  _had_  spent money on this. Well, as much as he wanted to scold him further, it would soon encroach upon being ungrateful, so there was no point in dawdling on it further. Gently, he opens the lid to the box.

Like the rest of his morning had been thus far, what is contained inside the box is certainly unexpected—but not anywhere near unpleasant. Resting upon a deep maroon piece of fabric (he'll have to investigate that further, in just a moment) is an elegant watch. The black wristband is cut from what appears to be leather, and the timepiece itself is set in a gold frame. Its face is minimalistic, with some exposed gears contained inside the glass. It is simple, without too much detail—or gaudiness, thankfully—and Shu definitely feels his heart skip a beat when he first sees it. Not that he knows why.

Shu gingerly lifts it off of the fabric, slightly in awe.

"I, um, hope it's not too much… I thought y'might like it, Oshi-san, but if y'don’t we can take it back and get somethin' else, no problem! And the, um, fabric? In the bottom? It's a handkerchief. I know y'make 'em so much better than I do, but I wanted t'try that lace stuff y'showed me a few weeks ago, and I asked Ryuu-kun-san to help me with the embroidering, since y'said he's good at it and all, and—"

"Kagehira," That shuts him up. "Truthfully, I'm not sure what to say."

"Nnah? I knew y'wouldn't like it, 'm sorry, Oshi-san."

Shu shakes his head. "Do I really appear that way to you? Perhaps I should replace those eyes of yours, after all." He gently rests the watch around his wrist, and flips it over to secure the clasp. It fits perfectly, and when he turns his arm back over, he feels some foreign emotion swell up inside him. Pride? Gratitude? Somewhere in between?

He reaches for the handkerchief next, unfolding it to its full size. Kagehira still has much to learn from him, as far as needlework is concerned, but he can clearly tell how much progress he has made. The silk fabric is embroidered with a black lace around the inside edges, and there are two small golden letters needled into the bottom right corner—his initials, he realizes.

"Happy birthday, Oshi-san."

When he looks up, Kagehira has the sweetest smile on his face. Soft, slightly shy, that same pink color dusting his cheeks as it had before. He is fidgeting slightly in his seat, wringing his hands in his lap, not sure what to do with himself.

Shu finally pins down the strange emotion he's feeling, like a butterfly stuck to a corkboard.

"Mika," he begins, with some degree of trepidation. This is uncharted territory for both of them. "I cannot tell you how thankful I am. You—you shouldn’t have done this much, not for me." Something is stinging at the corner of his right eye, but he tries to ignore it. "Surely, I don’t deserve such a gift."

Mismatched eyes stare back at him, mystified. "Sh—Oshi-san? Are ya… are you  _crying_?"

Ah, that’s what that was.

"Here, lemme—" Mika takes the handkerchief out of his hand, and dabs at his eye delicately. "I didn’t mean t'make you upset, Oshi-san. I want'chya t'be happy, since it's your birthday and all."

A voice rises up in his mind, one that he's never heard before, and it is telling him to seize the opportunity laid in front of him. Something comes over him, and before he can register what he is doing, he wraps his arms around Mika and pulls him close. Mika holds his arms out, not sure what to do, but then follows suit and draws himself closer into Shu's chest.

"Thank you, Mika," he breathes, barely above a murmur. "For everything."

Black hair nuzzles into his neck, like a crow preparing to roost. He is squeezed tighter. "'S my pleasure, Oshi-san. Always."

**Author's Note:**

> happy birthday shu! please try to relax for a single day!
> 
> valkyrie previews cannot come soon enough.
> 
> find me @harmonyleaf on twitter!


End file.
